Last year Tesla unrelieved its plans for a Solar Roof, a tile alternative that doubles as a solar roof. The idea is ingenious and Elon Musk promised it would cost less than regular roofs. Now Tesla has come out and unveiled just how much it will cost—$21.80 per square foot.
In a blog post announcing the pricing, Tesla cited Consumer Reports’ estimate of $24.50 that would competitively price Solar Roof with other material. It came under that price and Tesla is promising it’s a better value over time than normal roof alternatives like tile, metal or slate. The number Tesla came up with uses two different tiles: solar and non-solar. A Solar Roof won’t be completely made of solar tiles, but a combination of solar and non-solar tiles to offset the cost.
Each household will vary in the number of solar tiles the roof will need. Tesla recommends if a house charges an electric vehicle, more solar tiles will be needed to offset the extra electricity consumption.
Using Tesla’s $21.80 pricing, if you have a 3,000 square foot roof the total price will come out to $65,400. There’s also the cost of installation and the Powerwall needed to contain all the solar energy. It’s not a cheap proposition, but there is a 30 percent Solar Investment Tax Credit that will give you a nice price cut.
The roof comes with a lifetime tile warranty, power warranty of 30 years and weatherization warranty of 30 years.
Tesla set up a Solar Roof calculator so you can estimate the cost for your roof.
You can pre-order Solar Roof now
The Solar Roof comes in four options: textured, smooth, Tuscan and slate. You can pre-oder the tile with a $500 deposit.
